


Aftermath

by MizushimaHikari



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Affairs, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Coming of Age, Competition, Drama, Family Secrets, Gen, Illegitimacy, Mathematics, New York City, Past, Scandal, Single Parents, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-09-10 18:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8928670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizushimaHikari/pseuds/MizushimaHikari
Summary: When her math enthusiast son Philip attends a statewide math competition, math professor and single mother Maria Reynolds inadvertently meets an old acquaintance, who turned her life upside-down over a decade ago and is now one of the most influential people of her city. This unexpected meeting threatens to dredge up her past and shake the foundation of her and her son's lives.





	1. Chapter 1

Maria sighed as she tugged at the hem of her pencil skirt. Today had already been a rather anxious day, and it would only get worse from here. 

Not that she minded the source of her nervousness, her son. Thirteen-year-old Philip was competing in Math League, a statewide math competition for middle school students. He had always been a competitive child, and he, just like his mathematician mother, had always loved numbers (Maria distinctly remembered the day when baby Philip had counted to nine – in French.) Ever since he had heard about this competition in elementary school, he had wanted to win it. And now, as an eighth grader, this was his last shot. 

Ever since his seventh place finish last year, which he considered dismal, Philip had been studying nonstop. Over the past year, he had methodically devoured his mother’s miniature library of competition resources, ensuring that he did every single practice problem. On his desk was a pile of scratch paper towering over two feet tall. In the mornings, when Maria would wake up her son, she often found him not in bed, but asleep at his desk. 

Maria saw the blood, sweat, and tears Philip had poured into his dream. She so fervently hoped he would see his efforts pay off. 

It seemed to have gone well this morning, during the written part of the competition. Philip had texted her, saying he answered every question. 

But the afternoon…that was the hard part. In the afternoon was Ciphering Round – the top ten students from the written round would be called onstage to compete against each other, solving math problems at light speed. 

She remembered last year all too well. Philip had been called up to compete against the sixth-place student, a boy named James. It was a rout; James sped through the problems before Philip (or anyone else, for the matter) could finish reading the question. That day, her son locked himself in his room, his sobs emanating through the apartment. 

Maria inhaled. Finally, all the announcements were ending, and Ciphering was beginning. Tenth place and ninth place were called up. Then eighth. Then seventh...

This was way too nerve-wracking. So nerve-wracking, in fact, that Maria felt a soft touch on her shoulder, followed by a whisper: “Are you alright, dearie?” 

Maria turned. A lovely woman with a French manicure and a familiar face smiled at her. Only now did Maria realize she had been hyperventilating. 

The woman continued to speak. “Is your child here today? My son is.” 

What a kind soul! Maria said, “Yes, my son’s here too. He’s an eighth grader, so this is his last time.” 

“So is my son,” said the woman. 

A tense silence blossomed between the two mothers. 

Maria began to babble. “This seventh grade girl is doing really well. I can’t believe she’s fought her way from eighth place to fifth.” 

The woman brightened up. “She’s doing wonderfully.” 

“Did you catch her name?” 

“I think it was Patsy Jefferson.” 

They resumed watching just as Patsy defeated fourth place, claiming his spot. 

“Wow!” the announcer exclaimed. “Patsy Jefferson takes fourth place and secures her spot on New York’s state team at National Math League! Keep in mind, she’s only in seventh grade. And now, in third place is James Hamilton!” 

The woman squealed. “That’s my son!” 

Maria raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me, ma’am, but I don’t believe I ever asked you your name.” 

“My name is Eliza Hamilton.” 

Maria gaped. She felt her entire body clench up in fear. “You’re …you’re…” she stuttered. 

“I’m the First Lady of New York City, I know,” Eliza responded aristocratically. “But today, I’m a nervous mother, just like you. What’s your name?” 

“Maria Reynolds. It’s a pleasure and a surprise to see you here,” she answered with what little serenity she could muster. 

But by now, Eliza’s attention was drawn to the stage. James had narrowly defeated Patsy. Maria found herself studying James’s face. She wanted to believe he looked like Eliza, but that wasn’t quite right. 

“And in second place is Theodosia Burr!” the announcer bellowed. 

Eliza gasped in horror. Ferocity tainted her expression. “Not her!” she hissed. 

Meanwhile, Maria covered her eyes. Philip hadn’t been called so far... 

An unremarkable girl stepped on stage. Three minutes later, a furious James stomped off – Theodosia had utterly humiliated him. 

Eliza snarled and ground the heel of her pumps into the ground. Maria didn’t notice; she was too busy curling up fetal style in her chair, waiting for the dreaded moment when her son’s hopes were crushed. 

“And I now have the pleasure of announcing New York’s statewide written winner. Our second place, Theodosia Burr, achieved a score of 39 out of 46. First place earned a score of 46 – that’s right, a perfect score! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Philip Reynolds to the stage!” 

“That’s my son!” Maria nudged Eliza. 

After a flurry of math, Philip emerged the winner. He and his opponent soon exited stage left. Maria exhaled, relief flooding her very being. She sat there in a daze until Philip came running towards her. 

“Mom, Mom! I won!” he cried, waving a glass trophy around. 

Maria embraced her son. “I’m so proud of you, sweetie.” 

Philip let go as Theodosia tugged at his sleeve. “Come on, Philip. The state team has to meet up right now.” With that, Theodosia spun around and primly walked away. 

“Oh yeah! Mom, you gotta come too,” said Philip as he began to drag her towards a small conference room. 

“Calm down, little one,” said Maria. 

Mother and son scurried to the room, only to find they were the last ones to arrive. There was an elliptical table in the conference room. At one end were Patsy and Theodosia and their fathers. Patsy’s father, a skinny man dressed in a lurid violet coat, leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. Theodosia’s father, a stern man in black, sat rather nobly. Despite the fathers’ differing demeanors, they appeared to be good friends – they were casually chatting. 

At the other end of the table were James and Eliza. James (that spoiled brat!) was shooting death glares at Theodosia. Eliza stood behind him, effortlessly poised, as if she had spent years perfecting her body language. 

Philip and Maria sat between the two factions. Surrounded by such finely dressed people, Maria felt frumpy in her old blouse and fraying skirt. She hoped Philip wouldn’t care about appearances – she wanted him to be confident. And yet, she was fully aware he was a sensitive, shy, awkward child – he considered himself a poet; he probably felt the palpable discrepancy. 

She had always wanted to give him everything in the world, but there was only so much she could provide on her salary. The two lived in a small apartment in NYC that somehow consumed half her paycheck. They never starved, but money was tight. 

Just then, all the students except Philip brightened up as a tall, muscular man strode into the room. Philip leaned back and touched his cheek, as if to hide his face. 

“Greetings,” boomed the man, “and welcome to the New York state team for Math League. As the coach of the winning team, not to mention three of the top four students, I, Dr. Washington, will be the coach for New York. I already know Theodosia, James, and Patsy, but I don’t know you, young man. What’s your name?” With those words, Dr. Washington smiled at Philip. 

Philip’s shy demeanor disappeared in an instant. He stood up and boldly announced, “My name is Philip Reynolds, and I want to be the best mathematician in the world!” 

At that moment, they heard clapping from the doorway. “Well spoken, young man. You remind me of me, back in my youth.” 

Maria’s blood ran ice cold. No, it couldn’t be. She never thought she would hear his voice again. Then again, why didn’t she? His son was here, his wife was here – she was foolish to hope he wouldn’t turn up. 

“Alexander!” called Eliza. 

In stepped a man with a rich, hunter’s green blazer, none other than Mayor Alexander Hamilton. Maria gripped Philip’s shoulder – she didn’t want to believe it, but her son looked like the mayor. 

As they always said, “Like father, like son.”


	2. Chapter 2

Fourteen years ago –

Maria sighed as she tugged at the hem of her miniskirt. Today had already been a rather dreadful day, and she hoped it would get better from here. 

She breathed slowly, cringing as the stench of the alcohol and piss and desperation invaded her senses. Why was she even at the club? 

She sipped a mojito, thinking about her ex-boyfriend, James. Throughout their relationship, he had been chauvinistic – he never supported her dream of becoming a professor of mathematics. He didn’t want her to have a career at all. Dearest James (Maria thought sarcastically) wanted nothing more than a woman whom he could control, someone who would have to rely on him for finances and emotional support. Not that he, a compulsive gambler who derived esteem from putting others down, was particularly good at either. 

Two months ago, Maria broke it off with James, and he had not taken it well. For the first week after the break-up, he had left her monstrous messages and voicemails, calling her all sorts of derogatory names. Whenever she got a message, she would cry, not just because the words hurt her now but because she pitied her past self for ever dating such a cruel man. 

Gradually, she blocked him on every form of communication she used. The last few weeks had been uneventful. However, today, she received an extremely nasty text from her Ph. D. advisor, in which he described her as a whore. She called her advisor in shock, only to hear James on the other end, spewing vitriol. 

An hour later, James was arrested for breaking into Professor Madison’s home and stealing his laptop and cell phone. 

Anyway, Maria was now here at the club, trying to reclaim her confidence after that awful phone call. Her abominable ex prodded every one of her insecurities. He criticized her appearance and demeanor, and then he proclaimed that no one else would ever love her. It stung – as a Ph. D. student in math, Maria constantly felt like she had renounced her femininity. 

She certainly felt uncomfortable here, wearing too much makeup and too-tight clothes and too-high heels, surrounded by smoke and people. 

Maria was almost ready to leave when a group of four men swaggered in. Three of them weren’t her type, but the last one, the one with intelligent eyes and a hunger-pang frame… He took her breath away. 

One of the other men cried, “I’ve seen it all, motherfucker!”

Another shouted, “There’s hope for our ass, after all!” 

The quartet sauntered up to the bar. The first man to speak brashly told the bartender, “Four beers! We’re celebratin’ night!” 

The four sat down at the bar, allowing Maria a clear view of that mesmerizing man. She rather indiscreetly ogled him – after all, few men in the field of mathematics were as delicious as him. 

After a minute, the stranger stared back at her. Maria turned away, embarrassed that she had been caught. Temptation eventually overrode her shame, and she glanced back up at him. He raised an eyebrow and suddenly grinned and winked. 

Nervously, Maria nodded. 

The man picked up his bottle, half-waved as his friends (and half-shooed them away), and approached her. He sat by her, took a sip, and said, “You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied.” 

Oh, his voice! Melodious and warm! She stuttered, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” 

“You’re like me – I’m never satisfied,” he said with a grin. 

“Is that right?” she mumbled, still giddy that a man like him would talk to a woman like her. 

“I have never been satisfied,” he rued, sniffling a bit. 

A brief silence followed. Maria hated awkward silences, so she blurted out, “My name is Maria.” 

“Al – Philip” he responded as he extended a hand. Not to shake her hand, though, but merely to caress the back of her hand. He kept his hand there. Maria felt her hand and entire body grow hot. 

“What brings you here tonight?” Maria asked. 

“Unimportant – what matters is what brings YOU here tonight,” Philip rebutted. 

“Me?” she said, gesturing towards herself with her free hand. She couldn’t bring herself to tell a complete stranger about today’s fiasco, so instead she replied, “I came here to have a good time. I think I made a good choice.” 

By now, Philip’s hand had slipped from her hand down to her inner thigh. “Do you think you’re maximizing your utility by staying here?” he whispered seductively. 

Maria burst out laughing, breaking the connection. “Maximize your utility? Who even says that? Economists?” 

Philip glared at her indignantly. “I’ll have you know I actually AM an economist. Specifically, I’m a grad student at Columbia.” 

“Me too!” Maria interjected. 

“How have I never met you before?” asked Philip, his tongue dabbing his lips as he said the word “you.”

“You see, I’m a grad student, too,” Maria explained, “but I’m in the math department.” 

Their connection immediately resurfaced. “Perhaps we could stop by your place and discuss each other’s research,” suggested Philip. 

They both knew what he meant. “I’d love to! Let’s go!” Maria exclaimed. 

The two left the establishment, blissfully unaware that Philip’s friends were shooting him looks of disgust. 

When Maria woke up next morning, Philip was already gone. She stayed in bed for a few minutes, ruminating. Last night had been fun. 

Anyway, she had things to do. She carelessly threw on a hoodie and an old pair of jeans and went on her way. 

And she went on her way like that, for half a year or so. Life was going swimmingly – she was only a few months away from earning her Ph. D. Her advisor, James Madison, and the department were evidently pleased with her work – they had just offered her an assistant professorship following the completion of her degree. 

Well, things hadn’t been perfect. She was still single. She didn’t see Philip again after that night. She had had a violent, prolonged case of stomach flu a few months ago. And overall, she was very busy and very tired most of the time. 

But for the most part, Maria was doing well. At least, that was what she thought. 

Then, at a routine check-up, she found out she was pregnant. About six months pregnant, to be more precise. It couldn’t be anything else but that night with Philip. 

That evening, Maria walked back to her apartment stoically, but right after she retreated into the privacy of her home, she burst into tears. This couldn’t be happening. How could she raise a child on her own? 

She revealed her situation to Prof. Madison. After all, she saw no way of disguising her pregnancy from him, no matter how much she wanted to. And to her great relief, he was merciful, even kind. He offered her a few months of leave. More importantly, he pulled some strings to guarantee she would have an occupation as an assistant professor once she got her Ph. D. 

And so Maria approached her imminent motherhood with hope. She named her baby boy Philip James Reynolds. That way, he would have part of her, part of his father, and part of his godfather. 

For the next decade, Maria worked nonstop. Between earning tenure and raising a growing boy, she barely slept. But she was alright with that. None of this had been planned, but everything seemed to fall in place. 

When Philip was about ten, there was a mayoral election in New York City. Even though Maria was personally uninterested in politics, she inevitably wound up absorbing some news about the election and the candidates. 

When the challenger won in a landslide, Maria’s curiosity was piqued; she felt compelled to look him up on Wikipedia. She typed his name, Alexander Hamilton, into the search bar, uncertain of what to expect. 

Oh, oh no. This couldn’t be. He had clearly aged ten years, but the resemblance was indisputable. A decade ago, she had had a one-night stand with the mayor-elect of New York City, Alexander Hamilton. 

Against her best instincts, pleading for her to close the tab – hell, close her browser and shut down her laptop – Maria forged through the Wikipedia page. She got through the stuff about Hamilton’s early years and education rather easily. 

However, she soon encountered the “Personal Life” section. Apparently, Hamilton married his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, high-society socialite and daughter of business mogul Philip Schuyler, a month after that night. And they had three children: James, Angelica, and Alexander. James was ten, just like her son…

At this point, Maria closed her laptop forcefully. She couldn’t bear it.


	3. Chapter 3

Mayor Hamilton surveyed the room, first looking at his wife and son, then deliberately skipping over the Jeffersons and the Burrs, and finally noticing Maria. His eyes bugged out ever so slightly before he turned to Dr. Washington. 

“Pardon me for interrupting,” the mayor said to Washington. 

“Mayor Hamilton, it’s a pleasure to see you here. Please, take a seat.” Washington replied curtly. 

With a flourish, Hamilton sat down next to James, inadvertently sitting next to Philip as well. Washington stared at the man a tad too long, then moved on. 

“As I was saying, I am New York’s Math League coach. New York has done exceptionally well in the past few years, and I expect nothing less of you four. It is imperative that the four students practice as a team before National Math League. Usually, the top four are all my students, but this year, Philip is not. I intend to have weekly practices on the weekends. Weekend retreats, if you will. I only require your contact information to arrange these sessions. Everything else will be taken care of.” 

And with that, Dr. Washington produced a sheet of cream-colored cardstock and walked around the table, first to Patsy and her father, then to Theodosia and her father. He walked around the table slowly and methodically, no step taken in vain. As he stopped by each student, he carefully checked each character of an email address, each digit of a phone number. 

Dr. Washington approached the Hamiltons. Eliza first took the paper and wrote down her information. Suddenly, Alexander snatched the paper from his wife and frantically jotted down a few lines. Eliza sighed. “Isn’t this enough?” 

He kept scribbling. 

Finally, Dr. Washington reclaimed the paper and gave it to James Hamilton. James glared at his teacher with one eyebrow raised and said, “I don’t see why you’re going through all this trouble to work with him. Why not have a team of only kids from our school? He’s not like us anyway.” 

Maria felt her face grow hot. How dare that insolent child say such a thing? Already, Philip had resumed cowering in his seat, trying to hide his hands and head inside his oversized sweatshirt. 

Meanwhile, Eliza gasped, and Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Burr shot intensely nasty stares at Hamilton. 

Even Dr. Washington looked appalled. “Son –”

“I’m not your son,” James snarled. 

“If you would like to continue to aggravate your teammate, you can quit the team and go home.” Dr. Washington threatened. 

James pushed his chair back and mumbled, “No, sir. I’m sorry, sir.” He silently (and rather sullenly) began writing on the sheet of paper. 

Afterwards, Dr. Washington finally reached Philip and Maria. He handed Maria the cardstock. She briefly paused before writing down her cell phone number and her Columbia email address. Philip then filled out his information. 

Dr. Washington scrutinized their neat handwriting before returning to the front of the room. “You will all receive an email from me by tonight with everyone else’s contact information. I plan to have our first retreat next week. Be on the lookout for that email. You are free to leave now.” 

With that, Eliza, still ruffled by her son’s defiance, dragged James and Alexander towards the door. The Burrs and the Jeffersons casually stood up and gathered up their belongings while making small talk. Maria was about to get up when a rather audible whisper echoed through the room. “I can’t believe you lost to Theodosia Burr. You’re supposed to be better than her, son.” 

All eyes in the room zeroed in on Hamilton and his son, both looking agitated, if not downright furious. “Today was a fluke!” argued James. “Of course I’m better at math than a girl.” 

Mr. Burr paced towards James like a lion stalking an antelope. “What did you say about my daughter?” he said menacingly. 

Theodosia stepped forward and tapped her father on the shoulder. “Father, allow me,” she implored. And surprisingly, Mr. Burr backed off. 

Theodosia penetrated James’s personal space and coldly remarked, “I have outperformed you in every practice session for the last month, and today was no exception. Don’t you dare belittle me.” 

“Leave my son alone!” Mayor Hamilton yelled at the girl. By now, James was hiding behind his mother, who looked like she wanted to hide as well. 

“Don’t yell at my daughter,” Mr. Burr hissed, reinserting himself into the hullabaloo. 

“Someone needs to teach her manners, and you’re evidently not doing that. She can’t insult my son!” Hamilton retorted. 

“Your son has already derided every one of his teammates. Who are you to tell me that my child has no manners?” Burr rebutted. 

A fracas erupted in the room. The Hamilton boys and the Burr family screamed at each other inarticulately. Mr. Jefferson shrugged his shoulders, unfazed by the skirmish. 

“ENOUGH!” boomed Dr. Washington. “Hamilton, a word.” 

Mr. Jefferson and Patsy strode towards the Burrs, and Mr. Jefferson said, “I think it’s time we left.” 

“Agreed,” replied Mr. Burr. 

Mr. Jefferson turned towards Philip and Maria and grinned. “I think y’all ought to come with us.” 

Philip eagerly sped towards Mr. Jefferson. Maria couldn’t blame him. She herself wanted nothing more than to escape the awkwardness of that room. She walked towards the door and turned around, pausing to catch a glimpse of the hotheaded biological father of her son before exiting without a word. The less said, the better. 

Even though they were outside of the room, Theodosia and Mr. Burr were still seething, and Philip looked pale. Only Mr. Jefferson looked calm. “How about the six of us go out to dinner to celebrate our children’s accomplishments?” he suggested. “My treat.” 

And just like magic, the tension dissipated. Soon, the three parents and three students were seated inside a popular upscale bistro. Since the menus were all in French, Mr. Jefferson took the liberty of ordering for the whole table. Philip, Theodosia, and Patsy were chattering among themselves, so Mr. Burr turned to Maria. 

“Maria, you must be very proud of your son,” Mr. Burr said softly, his expression warm and friendly. 

“I am. He’s been working so hard on this. It’s been his dream to win this competition for years,” she replied. “Philip is very mild-mannered, but he’s very passionate about mathematics and math competitions.” 

“Fascinating! How did he get involved in mathematics?” Burr asked. 

“Well, you see, I’m a math professor at Columbia. When Philip was young, I was very busy working on getting tenure. I ended up taking him to my office and to some of my lectures, and I suppose he was exposed to math at a young age.” 

“You must have been very busy to have had to teach courses and raise a child simultaneously,” he mused, not without a note of humor. 

“I’m a single mom,” Maria said a tad bashfully. She had gotten better at talking about this over the years, but she still felt self-conscious about it. She noticed Philip cringe as she said that. 

Burr looked almost mournful. She was about to chew him out for his unwanted pity when he whispered, “I understand what it’s like, raising Theodosia and running a law firm with Thomas. I’m a single father. A widower.” 

Just as Burr finished speaking, Jefferson leaned in beside him and said, “Aaron, are you talking about me?” His voice was playful, but his expression was harsh. 

Burr sighed. “Thomas, I was actually telling Maria about myself.” 

Jefferson’s face softened. “Oh yeah...” he mumbled sheepishly. 

“I see,” said Maria, unsure of what else to say. Conversation ended abruptly. 

“Don’t be such downers!” exclaimed Jefferson. “Today we’re celebrating our smartass kids!” He began to raise a glass. 

“Dad,” interrupted Patsy, “What did we say about swearing in public?” 

Jefferson wilted at his daughter’s words. “I shouldn’t swear in public because I’m not setting a good example for you,” he replied apologetically. He sounded like a child being gently reprimanded by his mother. 

Burr rested his chin in his hand and, with a smirk, said, “Typical Thomas.” 

“Hey! Patsy’s headstrong, just like her mother!” Thomas protested. 

“And Theodosia takes after her dear mother, and perhaps young Philip takes after his father,” Aaron uttered poetically. “We are lucky parents to have such intelligent, wonderful children.” He raised a glass and uttered, “Cheers!” 

And everyone raised their glasses, whether filled with water or wine, and repeated, “Cheers!” They clinked their glasses and each took a sip. For the rest of the night, conversation proceeded smoothly – Maria felt camaraderie for Aaron and Thomas, founders and partners of their law firm. Philip certainly seemed to like his teammates, particularly Theo. Philip and Maria headed home in high spirits. 

It had been a long, eventful day, and Philip, tired out from the day’s mathematical pursuits and the evening’s socializing, went straight to bed. Maria, as exhausted as she was, still had some emails to write to her students, not to mention letting James Madison know about his godson’s success. 

She logged into her work email and ignored the vast number of unread messages in favor of writing her own. Once that was done, she scanned through the subject lines of the new emails, her eyes glossing over subject lines until…

No. What was this? 

There, in her inbox, was the subject line, “Can I buy you a drink?” from Alexander Hamilton.


	4. Chapter 4

How did he get her email?! Maria’s mind flashed back to a vision of cream-colored cardstock with messy handwriting. Hurriedly, she skimmed the rest of her emails. 

Of course. Washington, true to his word, had sent every student and parent a list of everyone’s contact information. 

She inhaled as thoughts raced through her mind. Why was Mayor Hamilton trying to contact her? He must have found out about Philip… Fear rushed through Maria’s bloodstream as she braced herself for the contents of the email. 

 

Maria Reynolds, 

Forgive me for not recognizing you earlier. We met during our grad school years at Columbia. We simply must meet for coffee tomorrow at 2PM at La Colombe. Don’t keep me waiting. 

Mayor Hamilton

 

Maria wanted to scream. This email said absolutely nothing! She had no idea what Hamilton knew. Worse still, he was being a conceited prick! 

She was about to type a curt email turning down his offer when she realized she didn’t think she could refuse the mayor. All at once, she understood the subtext of the message. She wasn’t being asked to have coffee with him – she was being ordered to. He would dictate all aspects of the interaction. 

Maria grimaced and then wrote a cloying message accepting the invitation. Perhaps she could buy herself time to figure out more by feigning willing compliance. 

The next day arrived far too soon. Maria donned a white blouse and a grey pencil skirt, and then let Philip know she would be out for a few hours. 

She got to La Colombe fifteen minutes early, just as she had planned. She would scope out the coffee shop and claim the most secluded table she could find. 

Maria stepped inside, surprised to find that even during the afternoon, when the sun was overhead, the inside of the shop was dark, and all of the booths were mostly enclosed. She purchased a latte and chose a booth at random. It didn’t matter which, for they were all sufficiently discreet. 

Five minutes later, a man in sweatpants and a hoodie partially obscuring his face peered into Maria’s booth. She recoiled as the stranger entered her space. He took off the hood, revealing himself to be Hamilton. 

That face… a face that had once mesmerized her, a face just like her son’s, glared at her. 

“What do you want from me?!” Hamilton spat out. 

Dumbstruck, Maria said, “Huh?” 

“I know who you are,” Hamilton continued his tirade, completely ignoring Maria’s confusion. “You and I had a one-night stand back in grad school. Why did you hunt me down? You must think that now I’m a politician you can blackmail me with a so-called sex scandal. Tough luck. I met Eliza after I met you.” 

Maria couldn’t take all this unwarranted blame. “You married your wife A MONTH after we slept together. I doubt you weren’t dating her by then,” she noted, anger coloring her words. 

Hamilton paled at her words. He looked so pitiful, like an oversized rat that had been fished out of a sewer and imprisoned in a cage. 

Nevertheless, just like a wounded animal, he kept lashing out. “Why did you find me at that math contest? Did you hunt down my family? What do you want from me?! Is it money?!” 

Maria couldn’t believe this jerk. She very badly wanted to punch him, but she knew she couldn’t punch an elected official. She chose the most diplomatic, least satisfying option: explaining herself. 

“I was at the math competition because MY SON was participating. I was at the meeting for the New York team because my son is on the team. I had no intention of finding you or your family. I don’t need or want your money.” 

Hamilton’s face contorted in surprise when she mentioned her son. It dawned on Maria that this man had been so perturbed by her presence that he had barely noticed Philip in the room. He was interrogating her based on nothing more than a harebrained notion. Good grief. She wasn’t sure she wanted this paranoid moron as her city’s mayor, much less her son’s biological father. 

Maria felt like she had the upper hand in this dreadful exchange, and she wanted nothing more than for this to be over. “Is there anything else you would like to discuss, Mr. Hamilton? I would like us to part on a high note, considering that our children will be collaborating for the next few weeks.” 

“Nobody needs to know of this encounter,” threatened Hamilton. 

She was mistaken; he had always had the upper hand. “I understand, sir,” she responded through clenched teeth. 

He smirked. “It’s been lovely seeing a fellow alum, but I’m afraid I must be going now.” He adjusted his hoodie so it covered his eyes and promptly left the booth. 

Maria sipped her latte, rage simmering inside her soul. Hamilton had just coerced her into staying silent about his infidelity. He hadn’t even shown any concern for Philip. She sat there and stared at the wall until she could pretend to be calm. She went back home, feeling numb during the entire commute. 

When she got back, Philip came out of his room to greet her. “Hi, Mom! How was your meeting?” 

Maria smiled. “What makes you think I had a meeting, Philip?” she asked as she collapsed on the couch. 

“You only dress like that when you have something important going on. Today’s Sunday, so it can’t be class, and you don’t have a conference this weekend, so it must be a meeting.” he pointed out as he sat down next to her. 

“True. You’re right, I had a meeting of some sorts,” she admitted. “It went okay.” 

“Mom,” Philip asked tentatively, “did you go on a date? I wouldn’t mind if you did. It might be nice to have a father.” 

Her sensitive, observant son was so close, yet so far. She hated that she would have to lie to him by omission, but she didn’t see any other options. “I did not, silly. I met a friend back from school. Now, what have you been doing all day?” 

Philip broke out into a wide grin. “I’ve been practicing for National Math League and chatting with Theo! She’s so witty!” 

“Why do you say that?” 

“She knows French too, and she loves bad puns. Plus, she knows a lot about math!” Philip gazed off wistfully. 

Maria avoided the obvious implication and said, “I’m sure you’ll have a great time practicing with your teammates.” 

“Oh yeah, I got an email from Dr. Washington. He wants to have our first practice session next weekend at the Carlyle Hotel,” Philip mentioned. 

That expensive place?! This was preposterous. “I’ll check my email, and then we can have dinner,” she said. 

Philip went back to his room, probably to chat with Theo more. Maria languidly opened her laptop and checked her email. Sure enough, there was Washington’s message. He had taken the liberty to book three rooms: one for himself, one for the boys, and one for the girls. All costs would be covered. Parents would simply drop off their students on Friday afternoon and pick them up on Sunday. All the logistics were already taken care of. 

With his organizational prowess, Dr. Washington could be an army general. 

Maria lay down on the couch deep in thought. It looked like Philip was about to have the time of his life, residing in a luxurious hotel, working on math with likeminded students, and falling in love with a certain girl. It was all worth it, all the work he had done and effort he had exerted, even all the awkwardness and discomfort she would endure from interacting with the Hamiltons. 

Yes, it would be worth it. 

She felt a headache creep up on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My portrayal of Hamilton in this story is definitely not kind. I don't like seeing him this way, but it made the most sense for the plot. Forgive me~


	5. Chapter 5

A week had passed in the blink of an eye, and Maria and Philip were heading for the Carlyle. Philip carried a backpack full of clothing, scratch paper, and mechanical pencils, not to mention his excitement and hopeful optimism. Maria was initially grumpy since the subway had been delayed, and they were five minutes late. However, her son was so cheerful that she could feel her spirits lift. 

When they arrived, they met Dr. Washington, along with Theodosia and Patsy, in the hotel lobby. Philip rushed over to join his teammates. 

“We’re so sorry to be late, Dr. Washington,” said Maria. 

“We’re still waiting on James,” he said tersely. He definitely wasn’t happy that his pupils were late. 

“I’m very thankful for all the work you do to prepare our team for the national event,” Maria mentioned. 

Washington brightened up at her words. “You’re very welcome. It’s a pleasure to work with such talented youth, but it is indeed a great deal of time and effort.” 

At that moment, Eliza and James Hamilton stepped inside the Carlyle. James approached the group, and Washington led the students towards the elevators, all the while reprimanding Philip and James for their tardiness. Maria and Eliza were left in the lobby, both feeling bad that their children were being scolded. 

At last, Eliza piped up, “Maria! It’s good to see you! Do you, by chance, have any free time right now? I’d love to have dinner with you and get to know you better.” 

Maria’s mind froze. What was Eliza attempting to do? Did she know anything about Maria’s connection to Alexander, of her husband’s love child? 

Eliza appeared so earnest, though. Besides, she didn’t have anything else she had to do. So Maria said, “I’m free to have dinner with you. Is there anywhere you would like to go?” 

“Actually, there’s a nearby place that serves great ramen! Let’s go right now!” Eliza headed towards the door, and Maria followed. 

True to her word, Eliza led Maria to a small restaurant a block away. From the outside, it looked like a run-down door in a random wall, but inside was a warm, cozy, spicy scent; small tables; and ambient lighting. They were soon seated in a corner, drinking wine and waiting on their ramen. It was such a lovely place that Maria almost forgot why she felt so awkward around Eliza Hamilton. 

“So,” Eliza babbled between sips, “what do you do?” She stared at Maria like a curious and innocent kitten. 

All of the sudden, Maria felt a wave of guilt pass over her. She had done nothing to deserve this meal with Eliza. 

Maria must have made a face. Eliza frowned and asked, “Did I say something wrong?” 

“Oh no, not at all,” said Maria. “I just got distracted for a moment. What did you ask?” 

“What do you do for a living?” repeated Eliza. 

“I’m a mathematics professor at Columbia,” Maria responded, not without pride. Perhaps she said that too haughtily. Then again, when she thought back to the long nights spent on research and the colleagues who had ignored and excluded her, she felt that humility wouldn’t do her career justice. 

“Oh, that’s so cool! Alexander went to Columbia for grad school. For economics, not math. He really liked it,” Eliza prattled on cheerfully. 

“I see,” Maria said slowly, although her mind was reeling. She didn’t want to lie to Eliza Hamilton, nor did she want to reveal that she had met Alexander Hamilton back in graduate school. What could she say? “How did you meet your husband? Were you both at Columbia?” 

“No, I didn’t go to grad school. I actually met him at a winter charity ball my father hosted. Alexander was there with some friends of his. I saw him, and it was love at first sight. I was helpless.” Eliza gazed off into the distance. 

This was bad. Maria felt like the villain of a fairy tale. 

Oblivious to her companion’s discomfort, Eliza went on. “It was such a whirlwind romance. Maybe a year after we had started dating, he asked my father for my hand in marriage. It was very traditional. Daddy liked him immediately. Long story short, we got married around the time he finished his Ph. D, and we have three beautiful, healthy children.” 

Maria desperately hoped Eliza wouldn’t ask her about Philip. 

“Alexander is such a wonderful husband. My only issue with him is that he works nonstop. Some days, I don’t even see him. It’s hard for me to support him when I don’t even know what he’s working on. Government security, you know? I know he has lots of private meetings in all sorts of places, but it’s gotten a little too crazy, if you ask me. Why, just this week, some awful tabloid caught a candid of him in sweatpants and a hoodie and claimed he was going to a rendezvous.” 

“What?” Maria stammered. 

“I know! I can’t believe it! The press is always manufacturing nonsense about him.” 

Good. Eliza knew nothing, suspected nothing. 

Eliza continued her friendly banter. “It is so tough raising three happy, well-adjusted children in the public eye. We do our best with James, teaching him to be kind.” She broke off eye contact and stared at her lap. 

Maria wasn’t sure how to respond, and luckily, she didn’t have to. At that moment, Eliza’s cell phone chimed a melody, and her own phone beeped. She checked her phone and found a text from Philip: “Good first day. Getting along with teammates. Mostly.” She dashed off a quick “Take care; love you!” before turning to Eliza, who was blushing. 

“Oh dear, James isn’t very happy about having a roommate,” Eliza admitted. 

“It looks like our sons will be roommates for the next few weeks. I hope they become good friends,” Maria said, picking her words carefully so as not to insult Eliza’s child. As she spoke, she realized that, as fucked up as this entire situation was, she wanted Philip to get along with his half-brother. 

“James hasn’t put his best foot forward, but he has a good heart. I’m sure they will.” Eliza raised her glass. “To our sons!” 

“To our sons,” echoed Maria. 

After a satisfying meal, they bade each other farewell. Maria returned to her apartment. It had always seemed too small for her and her growing son. Tonight, the apartment’s vast emptiness suffocated her. She briefly contemplated inviting Eliza to come over on the weekend before she squashed that ludicrous thought. Eliza Hamilton, as a political spouse, undoubtedly had responsibilities, not to mention Maria’s connection to her husband…

Maria prepared to work on a publication, setting up her laptop and scratch work, but she couldn’t type a single word. Her mind swirled with thoughts of Philip. He was already thirteen. It wouldn’t be that long before he went to college. It wouldn’t be long before these lonely nights became her norm. 

She could tell she wouldn’t get any work done tonight, so she went to bed. Right before she drifted off to sleep, she remembered feeling grateful for her son. 

Over the weekend, Maria threw herself into work and errands, hoping that keeping busy would keep away her worries. For the most part, the mechanical nature of grocery shopping and planning her schedule occupied her mind. She only got distracted by occasional texts from Philip. (In an effort to boost team morale and unity, Dr. Washington was taking around NYC, across the High Line and through parks. Philip was texting her pictures of statues and selfies with his teammates, mostly Theo.) She was content. 

On Sunday afternoon, she went to the hotel to pick up Philip. After being late to drop him off, she had resolved to do better. Consequently, she arrived ten minutes early. 

To her surprise, she wasn’t the only who decided to arrive early. There in the lobby was Aaron Burr, seated in an armchair, calmly examining a newspaper. When he saw her, folded the paper’s pages neatly and smiled. She took the chair adjacent to him. 

“Hello, Maria,” he greeted. 

“Hi! How are you?” she said. 

“I’ve been doing well. Lots of work at the law firm. Many of Mayor Hamilton’s enacted policies have made my work rather challenging,” Burr said, his voice laced with antipathy. 

Maria chose to steer the conversation away from a potential minefield of a topic. “I’ve been busy myself. In some ways, it’s easier to get work done when Philip’s away, but the quiet gets to me sometimes.” 

“I understand,” he responded. 

Just then, the two parents saw the New York Math League team descend the grand staircase in the lobby, all sporting identical team T-shirts. Maria’s heart leapt when she saw Philip. His arm was linked with Theo’s, and he was cordially talking to James about polynomials. He seemed happy. 

Mr. Burr, on the other hand, sprung up, his mouth a thin, hard line. He approached the team at the foot of the stairs and ripped Philip’s arm away from Theo. 

“Don’t touch my daughter, James,” Burr hissed. 

Defiantly, Philip said, “I’m not James.” 

Burr stepped back and studied the two boys on the team, dumbstruck. 

Philip went towards his mother and said, “Mom, let’s go.” They left without turning back, even when they overheard Theo grumble, “Father, what was that for?” 

Mother and son passed through the building’s glass doors just as Mayor Hamilton was walking in. He donned a forest green coat, a stylish bun, and thick-rimmed glasses. For a moment, Maria remembered that yearning she had felt years and years ago. Part of her still wanted him. 

And then he scowled at her, eradicating Maria’s ephemeral fantasy. She could never have him. Never again. 

As they exited the building, Maria clutched Philip’s hand and pushed away the unimaginable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a slower chapter! I've been rather bad at updating consistently, and I'm afraid I'm going to get busier soon. Thanks again to the readers who left encouraging comments!


	6. Chapter 6

Once they got home, Philip regaled his mother with the weekend’s events. She half-listened to his excited chattering as she made coffee for herself and hot chocolate for him. According to her son, everyone on the team was great and they really got each other. 

“Patsy’s what I’d imagine a little sister to be like. She gets on everyone’s nerves sometimes but she’s super friendly and I like showing her cool math tricks. James is cool. He’s smart. He likes politics and rap music, just like me! And Theodosia’s great! She’s so clever and pretty! I want to write sonnets about her!” 

Maria stirred her coffee slowly, her back turned to him. So this was what a love-struck Philip was like – eager and expressive and above all else, idealistic. She hoped his soaring emotions wouldn’t fly too close to the sun and melt and crash and burn. 

As she placed the mugs of coffee and hot chocolate on the table, Philip remarked, “Theo mentioned her dad was protective, but I didn’t think he’d be that mad about my touching her.” 

Maria wrapped her fingers around the handle of her mug, savoring the feel of smooth porcelain and the aroma of strong, bitter coffee, desperately trying not to imagine a scenario in which she would have to explain her son’s infatuation to Aaron. 

“I know!” Philip exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “Theo’s dad must have mistaken me for James! He called me James back at the Carlyle. Theo’s told me all about how her dad and Patsy’s dad hate James’s father. That must be why he overreacted.” 

“What do you and Theo talk about?” Maria asked. 

“Math, mostly. Things we like, too. She talks about her dad’s work a lot. She really likes legal stuff and wants to be a lawyer like him.” 

“That’s interesting. I don’t know many mathematicians who like the legal field as well.” True, in the math department, most of Maria’s colleagues didn’t even realize Hamilton was mayor. 

“Yeah. I don’t care about law or politics, but Theo’s face lights up whenever she talks about the mayor’s flawed policies.” Philip smiled wistfully. 

Maria tensed up when her son mentioned the mayor. Perhaps with a tad too much paranoia, she inquired, “What does she say about the mayor?” 

“She doesn’t like any of his policies. She mostly thinks he’s not fit to be mayor. Hamilton and her mom and dad used to work together, and her dad told her Hamilton was super sketchy.” 

“Super sketchy?” Maria pressed. Who exactly was Mayor Hamilton? 

“Hamilton’s gotten into some financial trouble a few years back. He hid some of his financials from the public. It looked like he was embezzling government funds. They investigated him and didn’t find anything wrong, but he’s definitely a shady guy.” 

Maria was burning on the inside. She couldn’t believe she had slept with such a sleaze. 

“I read about that scandal a few years ago,” she remarked. Maria wasn’t sure how much more she wanted to hear about Hamilton. She wasn’t even sure how she felt about Theo. “I’m surprised Theo would tell people about these issues.” 

“She didn’t tell me all of this! She just alluded to her father not liking Hamilton, and I looked it up later. It’s all public record.” 

The financial scandal that ultimately turned up nothing was in the newspapers. But still, it didn’t seem right for Philip to talk about this so openly. 

“Philip, I know everything you’ve said is on the record, but you can’t go around telling people this stuff. It’s private and embarrassing. I’m sure Theo would feel uncomfortable if she knew you had looked up her parents on the Internet and were telling me about it,” Maria pointed out. 

Her son withered at her words. “I didn’t mean to be creepy. I was just curious. I don’t want hurt Theo,” he whimpered. 

“I’m sure you don’t mean to. It’s for the best if you keep that information to yourself from now on.” 

“I understand,” he mumbled. 

Her highly sensitive son slumped in his seat, clearly ashamed by his behavior. “Did you tell Theo about your interests?” Maria asked, hoping to cheer him up. 

It worked. “I told her that I like poetry. She asked if I would write her a poem. I promised to write her a poem by National Math League!” gushed Philip. 

“You better get started now,” teased Maria. 

“I’m trying! I just can’t come up with the right words. Nothing good comes to mind, and it’s not good to use almost-right words. It’s the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” 

The rest of the evening went well. After finishing his hot chocolate, he went to his room to work on massive stack of practice tests Dr. Washington had assigned. Maria curled up on the sofa with a second cup of coffee and her laptop. She lazily scrolled through her emails, clicking on one that Washington had sent today. It contained a summary of this weekend’s retreat, details for next weekend, and a group photo. 

It was a very charming picture of the four students standing against the NYC skyline. Philip seemed at ease with his teammates. She immediately saved the photo to her laptop and forwarded it to Madison. He would like this picture of his godson. 

Afterwards, she reviewed the arrangements for next week. The team would be training at the Roosevelt Hotel, where, just like this week, everything would be taken care of. 

In a flash, it was the day of the second retreat. Maria and Philip arrived at the hotel just on time. They entered the elegant art-deco hotel only to witness Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton engaging in the world’s most bizarre screaming match. 

“Turn around, bend over,” snarled Hamilton. “I’ll show you where my shoe fits, you little shit.” 

Thomas raised an eyebrow at Maria and Philip. “Language, Hamilton,” he drawled. “We are in the company of ladies and children.” 

Hamilton regarded Maria with pure contempt and promptly stormed out of the building. Philip clutched his backpack strap, his eyes wide. 

Thomas stepped towards Maria’s son and petted him on the head. “How ‘bout you go meet up with the team? Patsy and the others are all on the eighth floor.” 

Philip nodded and scampered towards the elevators, all too eager to leave the scene of that nightmare clash. 

After an awkward silence, Thomas whistled. “Sorry you had to see that mess,” he said, nervously scratching his ear. 

“What happened?” Maria said breathlessly. 

Thomas ran his fingers through his curly hair. “The mayor was saying things about my dear departed Martha. I wouldn’t usually yell at him, but I couldn’t let him deface her good name. Yeah. Things escalated quickly.” 

“What did he say?” she asked, horrified. 

“I’d rather not repeat those words,” Thomas said hurriedly. “I’ve only seen him get that angry once before, back when Aaron and Theodosia – Theo’s mom – started working at my firm.” 

“Why would that make him mad?” Maria asked. “Sorry to be so nosy!” she added. 

“It’s fine. Everyone at the law firm knows. I doubt Aaron’ll mind if I tell you.” Thomas stepped closer and spoke more softly. “Aaron, Theodosia and Hamilton used to work in the same law firm. Hamilton began harassing Theodosia – cornering her in the office and the elevator, calling her all sorts of derogatory names behind her back, repeatedly ordering her to get him coffee instead of letting her work.” 

“Aaron and Theodosia kept asking HR to do something about Hamilton, but they couldn’t get anywhere. HR even told Theodosia that she would just have to deal with it. They jumped when I offered them positions at my place,” he continued. 

“Anyway, Hamilton got word they were working with me and invited himself over. Not to bother Theodosia anymore, mind you, but to rip Aaron a new one for ‘betraying and abandoning him,’” Thomas mimed air quotes and rolled his eyes as he recalled Hamilton’s words. “Something about how Aaron had turned his back on their partnership. You see, Aaron’s former workplace and his current one are rival firms. That’s crazy talk, if you ask me; that partnership was broken the moment Hamilton began mistreating Aaron’s wife.” 

At that point, Thomas stepped towards the doors and said, “I have to go now. I’m sure Aaron and I would be interested in having a meal with you some time.” He left the building, his violet coat billowing in the breeze like a cape. 

Maria plopped herself in a chair just so she could process everything. So this was the true nature of her child’s father. How was this man the mayor?! Maria’s mind flickered to her experiences as an assistant professor. Quite a few of her coworkers had mistaken her for the receptionist. Some had made snide comments about she could never devote herself fully to mathematics because of her son. 

She pulled up the group photo of the team. Her son looked just like the mayor. But he was kind and empathetic. His father was absolutely despicable, but Philip was a fine young man. That thought calmed her as she went home and settled in for a too-quiet weekend.


	7. Chapter 7

Maria thought she would have a peaceful Saturday browsing through some new research papers, searching for new research problems, but she just couldn’t focus. It was too easy for her to examine the fridge every ten minutes or to watch absurd amounts of TV. 

Thinking a different environment would motivate her to work, she headed for La Colombe. It was ideal – quiet, devoid of distractions, not to mention the readily available coffee. Although it was dark inside, she was sure her laptop’s screen would be bright enough. When she arrived, she took an enclosed booth in the middle, ordered a large cappuccino, and opened her laptop. 

Within an hour, Maria was completely engrossed in her work, her mind buzzing with new avenues to explore, her heart squealing with joy at new developments. Even now, nearly two decades after she began to conduct research, she still found math exciting. 

By now, she had finished her first coffee and went to get another cup. Just as she retreated back to the solitude of her booth, she heard a low, melodious voice proclaim, “Sir, I hope you’re doing well. I called you here to discuss some matters of great interest.” 

That voice... It had to be Aaron Burr. She inferred he had some professional obligation of some sort and decided not to interrupt. She resumed her research. 

Roughly twenty minutes later, she heard him say, “I can give you a week to get back to me. I hope you’ll choose what’s best for both of us.” 

She peeked out of her enclosure just in time to catch a glimpse of Aaron Burr gliding through the door. Only then did she notice her own ragged breathing. Burr was intimidating. He spoke so icily. Maria imagined he had smiled cruelly, as if he were a snake about to devour its prey. She felt so thankful that he was friendly to her. 

Suddenly, La Colombe seemed ominous. Maria felt like she was suffocating. Her day wasn’t going at all how she intended. She wasn’t even half as productive as she hoped she would be. Accepting that fact, she went back to her apartment, where she lounged around and indulged in social media until the late afternoon, when she reluctantly began to prepare dinner. Prof. Madison was visiting this evening. 

True to her timely nature, she finished cooking right as Madison knocked on the door. 

Maria answered the door with a grin and said, “Professor! I haven’t seen you in a while!” 

A stocky man stepped inside and said, “As I always say, you can call me ‘James’, Maria.” 

The two professors proceeded to discuss the presentation slides for a paper they had co-authored as they ate dinner. Maria enjoyed working with her former advisor. Unlike some of her other co-authors, he genuinely cared about her input, pausing to let her finish her sentences and supporting her ideas. They had collaborated on projects before, and he made sure she got credit where credit was due. Working with Prof. Madison made Maria feel as if she were a legitimate mathematician. 

Of course she was a legitimate mathematician. Some days, she just needed a little reminding. 

Dense, detailed conversations about analytic number theory faded into lighter fare regarding personal lives. 

“How’s your wife?” Maria asked after she made coffee. 

“Dolley’s doing well. She can’t wait to have you and Philip over for dinner. She’s very eager to hear about the little mathlete,” Madison remarked, cracking a smile. 

“He’s doing great!” Maria gushed. “I’m sure he wishes he could be here, but he has weekend practice with the New York Math League team.” 

“I saw the group photo you sent!” Madison exclaimed. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and pulled up the picture. They admired the image. This time, Maria realized her son was the tallest of the four. Oh dear, he was already a teenager. 

“He’s grown into a handsome young man,” Madison uttered, his smile fading into inscrutability. “I presume he looks like his father.” 

It wasn’t a question. He might as well have said, “The resemblance is obvious. Philip’s clearly the bastard whore-son of the mayor.”

Instead, Madison placed his hand on his former advisee’s shoulder and said, “It’s just like I told you your first day teaching classes. People are going to ask questions. Most people’s questions are stupid. You and Philip have to prepare for stupid questions.” 

Maria knew what he was getting at. “I should tell Philip so he’ll be able to prepare for the inevitable.” The aftershocks of her past were finally coming back. 

Madison nodded. “That sounds like a plan.” 

For the rest of the evening, Maria resumed her normal behavior as well as she could, but the truth kept clawing at her mind, an itch she couldn’t scratch. She couldn’t sleep that night. She tossed and turned, trying to determine the least bad way to broach the subject. By the time the early morning sun had kissed the horizon, she still had no idea what to do. 

Maria went about her morning in a daze. She had spent five minutes wondering why the coffee machine wasn’t working until she realized she hadn’t started it. She felt as if she were swimming in tar. Nothing was getting done. 

All too soon, it was time to pick up Philip. Maria left a few minutes early, which turned out to be very necessary – she got off at the wrong subway stop and had to reroute to get to the right place. By the time she arrived, only Philip and James were there. James was agitatedly talking on his cell phone. 

“You can’t do that! Mom’s out of town.” James muttered. 

After a moment, he responded, “I’ll come back myself.” He ripped the phone from his ear and shoved it in his back pocket. “See you, Philip,” James said robotically as he exited the building, his hands buried in his pockets and his back slumped. 

“What happened to James?” Maria asked her son as they entered the subway system. 

“His mother isn’t able to get him this weekend, so his father was supposed to. He called right after practice to tell James that he would be too busy to,” Philip explained. 

At the mention of Mayor Hamilton, Maria’s mind briefly flitted back to the notion of telling James about his paternity. Now just seemed like a terrible time, though. Courage evidently had not accompanied her today. 

With Philip none the wiser, the two returned home and had an uneventful evening. Philip did his homework and worked through some more practice sets, and Maria prepared for her Monday class. 

Maria went to bed, guilt wracking her conscience. Maybe it was better she didn’t tell him now. It didn’t sound like he thought well of the mayor. The revelation could ruin his friendship with his half-brother as well. Yes, it would be for the best to tell him after Math League. 

She woke up feeling lighter, now she knew she wouldn’t have to resolve this issue for a few weeks more. Philip went to school as normal, and she went to the Columbia math department as normal. Just an ordinary Monday. Before her class, she took care of some generic tasks, responding to student email and entering grades. She usually had a few minutes to spare, which she used to check the news, but not today. She rushed to the classroom, problem sets and lecture notes in hand. 

She was about to start today’s lecture on quadratic reciprocity when a student suddenly yelled out, “Reynolds, what’s with today’s NYT article?” 

His voice reverberated through the room like an earthquake. Aftershocks rippled through the class – practically all the students were pulling out their phones. Somehow, Maria felt compelled to look up the news. It seemed like something had happened. 

On the front page of the New York Times was the headline, “Mayor Hamilton Confesses to Affair, Love Child.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear if you like where this is going!


	8. Chapter 8

This couldn’t be happening. Maria frantically skimmed the article, hoping that this wasn’t related to her. 

It absolutely was. Her name was stamped all over the damn news. Maria wanted to read the article, but she felt a hundred eyes on her, anticipating her response. 

“Class is canceled for today,” Maria announced impulsively. This was for the best. There was no way she could talk about number theory now. 

The students shuffled towards the door. The student who had told everyone about the article sauntered up to the professor’s desk and taunted, “Slut,” before leaving. The other students eyed her suspiciously, regarding her with disgust. Some of the students, the ones whom Maria considered kind, gave her looks of pity. 

This was humiliating. She couldn’t bear it. 

Once all of the students had left, Maria gathered up her belongings and ran back to her office, tears in her eyes. She slammed the door shut, locked it, and unceremoniously dropped her papers to the side. Only then did she realize how badly her hands were quivering. 

She looked up the article on her laptop and proceeded to read the dreadful story. 

 

Mayor Hamilton Confesses to Affair, Love Child

Mayor Alexander Hamilton has confessed to an affair with Columbia math professor Maria Reynolds, as well as fathering her son, Philip Reynolds. The mayor revealed this information in a letter, the contents of which have been reproduced below: 

…

My crime is a brief amorous connection with Associate Professor Maria Reynolds of Columbia University. Some time fourteen years ago, during an event, a woman beckoned me to her to discuss our research I found her situation to be a very interesting one. I requested the place of her residence, to which she responded by leading me to her residence. Some conversation ensued from which it was quickly apparent that other than intellectual stimulation would be acceptable. 

It has recently come to my knowledge that it was during this encounter when Professor Reynolds’s child, Philip Reynolds, was conceived. Several independent DNA tests have confirmed the paternity of her son.

I owe perhaps to my friends an apology for condescending to give a public explanation. A just pride with reluctance stoops to a formal vindication against a contrivance and is inclined rather to oppose to it the uniform evidence of an upright character. This would be my conduct on the present occasion; a circumstance has revealed itself, which I trust will excuse me for responding in such a manner. 

This confession cannot be made with a blush. I cannot be the apologist of any vice because the ardor of passion may have made it mine. I can never cease to condemn myself for the pang, which it may inflict in a bosom eminently entitled to all my gratitude, fidelity, and love. But that bosom will approve of such candor. The public too I trust will excuse the confession. 

…

This is a developing story. 

 

Maria felt her world collapse under her feet. Already, the words on her screen were blurry, although that was probably due to her tears. 

Fuck Alexander Hamilton. Fourteen years ago, he had thrown her life into turmoil, and here he was, wreaking havoc on her reality again, like a fault that kept causing earthquakes and devastation. 

Maria recalled that rude student from her class, worries racing through her mind. Would people call her derogatory names as she paced through the streets of the city? Would she be forced to resign from her post? If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to afford the rent. She and Philip could end up homeless. 

Philip! He was going to find out about his father in the worst way and at the same time as the whole world. His friends and classmates would shun him. What would happen to him on the New York math team? 

A seed of discomfort in Maria’s thoughts blossomed into a hideous nightshade. She scanned the paper until she found a disturbing sentence that had seemed so innocuous only a few minutes ago: “Several independent DNA tests have confirmed the paternity of her son.” 

It was horrifying clear and clearly horrifying. Someone had gone out of their way acquire samples of Philip’s DNA. Someone was targeting her son. 

Maria sat there, hyperventilating as fear engulfed her being. She no longer felt safe or secure. 

A hint of logic returned to her frazzled faculties. Alexander Hamilton wrote about the paternity tests in his letter. Surely it was he who had orchestrated the DNA testing. Maria would contact him and interrogate him about his invasion of her son’s privacy. 

Yes, contacting Hamilton was necessary, not just for that. She had to find out why he wrote that godforsaken letter in the first place. 

Maria opened up her work email to contact the mayor, only to find hundreds of emails from various random reporters, each asking for her comments, her “side” of the story. 

As far as she cared, her story was that she was a math professor working on her research and on raising her son and on minding her own business. That was it. 

She was almost ready to type out an email to Hamilton full of venom and vitriol when she noticed he had emailed her an hour ago. 

 

La Colombe, 2PM tomorrow. 

 

Maria simply couldn’t believe how, in just one line, Hamilton could come across as arrogant. Anyway, this was fine, right? She would get to discuss this scandal with him, find out exactly what had possessed him to do this. 

Someone was furiously knocking on her office door. She opened it, letting in a flustered, panting Madison. “Have you seen the news?!” he stuttered. 

Silently, Maria nodded. 

“Is it true?” Madison asked, a tad more gently. 

She nodded again. 

He cringed. “I was hoping it was all lies, but I knew that wasn’t true.” 

Madison sat next to his advisee and patted her shoulder while mumbling, “There, there,” as tears flowed freely from her eyes. 

Once her tears subsided, he said, “I’ve heard the other professors talking about it. The younger ones are calling for your removal. Fortunately, the department heads – the dinosaurs – don’t follow current events. I’m sure I can talk them into ignoring this mess.” 

Maria began to cry harder. She blubbered, “I’m sorry, Professor! I keep getting you involved in my personal life, and you always put your neck on the line for me –”

“Don’t say that,” Madison interrupted. “I stick up for you because you’re worth sticking up for. You’re a good mathematician and professor. It would be a shame for the department to dismiss someone like you.” 

It was déjà vu. Just like that fateful day fourteen years ago when Maria confessed her unplanned pregnancy to Professor Madison, he had demonstrated his unwavering support for her academic career and her worth as a human being. He had stood up for her when she thought she was all alone, and that had made all the difference. 

“Maria, you’re tenured, and you’ve done groundbreaking work on the Twin Prime Conjecture. It won’t be hard for me to convince them to retain you.” 

“Thank you, Professor!” Maria blurted. 

“Think nothing of it,” Madison said as he stood up. “You just take care of yourself and Philip for the next few days. If you ever need anything, just ask Dolley or me. We’ll always be there for you.” 

Maria embraced her advisor and whispered, “Thank you.” 

Once she let go, Madison said, “It’s almost time for you to pick up Philip from school.” 

“You’re right! I’m late. I have to go,” she replied, grabbing her coat and sunglasses as she dashed out of her office. 

She made her way to her son’s middle school, thankful that her sunglasses could hide her shifty, darting eyes and obscure the upper part of her face. Not that they helped that much – some people were definitely staring at her as she rushed down streets and roads. 

She got there when all of the students, except Philip and a few others, had left. As Philip approached Maria, she couldn’t help but notice that peculiarly intense and pinched expression marring his usually sweet demeanor. They left the school premises in silence. 

Once they were at the apartment, Philip snarled, “You knew!” This wasn’t like him at all. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” he accused. 

“I wanted to protect you,” she said, flinching at the flimsiness of the excuse. Ignoring reality wouldn’t change it. 

“Everyone’s calling me a bastard and a son of a whore. The only person on the math team who will even talk to me now is Patsy. James hasn’t said anything to me all day, and Theo outright told me her father doesn’t want her to talk to me anymore because of my parentage,” Philip explained emotionlessly. 

He continued in that robotic voice that broke Maria’s heart. “I’ve always wanted to know who my father was. I thought you weren’t telling me because you didn’t know. I could live with the idea of a father who didn’t know I existed. I didn’t think that my father would ignore me if he knew about me.” At his last words, Philip’s cool façade cracked. He wept while intermittently and incoherently muttering, “Not like this…” 

Maria hugged her son in an effort to comfort him. “I never meant for you to learn about him like this. I’m sorry.” 

They stood there, crying for the difficult next few weeks they would surely face and for the perfect lives they could only have in their dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The modern-day Reynolds Pamphlet finally comes to light! I based most of the text off excerpts from the real pamphlet. 
> 
> Madison, again, continues to be Maria's rock. 
> 
> I'd like to give a shout-out to all of Aftermath's loyal readers!


	9. Chapter 9

It was 1:30PM, and Maria was sitting in one of those lovely concealed booths at La Colombe, sipping her latte and ruminating over her morning. Philip had left for school wearing a mask of utter calm. She hoped her sensitive son would stay strong throughout the day. Even more, she hoped his classmates and friends wouldn’t torment him. This scandal wasn’t his fault, after all. 

She had not had a terrible day so far, all things considered. By now, a thousand journals had asked for her comment, and she had not responded to a single one. No students had said anything about her since class yesterday, and no colleague had yet said anything directly to her. This was perhaps one of the few benefits of working in a department where everyone was relatively introverted. 

Maria turned her attention to her location and her imminent meeting with Mayor Hamilton. There was much to discuss, after all. This was the discussion she had dreaded for years now. Suspecting she would want to reflect on the momentous meeting, she turned on the recording app on her phone and then concealed the phone in her bag. 

A few minutes before 2PM, a frazzled figure ducked into the coffee shop and prowled through the aisles until reaching Maria’s booth. A miserable Alexander Hamilton stepped inside, eyes narrowed. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. They stared at each other. 

Hamilton broke the silence. “This is entirely your fault,” he spat out rather petulantly. 

Maria had intended to keep her cool, but she immediately abandoned that plan. “How is this fiasco my fault?” she countered. 

“If you hadn’t seduced me that night –”

“Oh, so it’s my fault that you sleep with other women when you’re engaged?!” 

“Eliza’s making me sleep in my office!” Right after he admitted that, Hamilton looked like he wanted to pluck those words out of the air and tuck them into the inside pocket of his coat, right next to his heart. 

Maria closed her eyes and inhaled. This wasn’t going how she wanted it to at all. She mustered the courage to try again. 

“Mayor Hamilton,” she began, speaking slowly so she wouldn’t let her anger slip out, “Why did you write that letter?” 

Hamilton’s face darkened, and his hand clutched the edge of the table almost viciously. “It was an act of political sacrifice!” he responded, his nose and chin pointed high in the air. 

Maria gave him her most contemptuous, hateful glare. He cowered and began babbling. 

“One of my long-time enemies wants me to confess to a crime I did not commit. He found out about the affair and blackmailed me. Either I could confess to this so-called crime or he would publicize the affair and the bastard child. I chose to take control of my own destiny.” 

Maria reminded herself to curb her anger before speaking again. “Why did you justify your enemy’s claims with a response?” 

“I wouldn’t have done anything if he baselessly accused me of an affair, but he had proof. He had several tests confirming the paternity of your offspring. I didn’t even know he was my son.” 

“How did he get the DNA evidence from my son?!” she hissed, anger and fear and confusion flaring up in her voice. 

“He got a lock of hair from this kid! I don’t know how!” Hamilton said, his eyebrows furrowing. 

“Who is this enemy of yours?” Maria interrogated, jabbing a finger in Hamilton’s general direction. 

“It’s best if you don’t know. I’m sure he can make your life hell too if he wants,” warned Hamilton. 

“Why did you get me and my family involved then?!” To hell with controlling her temper. 

“The collateral damage was necessary,” Hamilton said with a smirk. “A personal scandal would hurt my reputation but wouldn’t harm my chances of holding office as much as the alternative. Besides, this man would lord this scandal over me if I didn’t reveal it first. He’s got nothing on me now.” 

Maria couldn’t believe her ears. Hamilton had raked her reputation through the mud to protect himself. “What exactly was this alternative, Mayor?” she asked through gritted teeth. 

Hamilton seemed to relax at this line of inquiry. “This man wrongly believes I sexually harassed someone he knew. It’s completely bogus. He wanted me to sign a statement admitting my guilt, threatened to tell the world about the affair.” 

Something about this seemed … familiar? 

“You didn’t harass anyone?” she queried. 

“No! I may have flirted with her and groped her a bit, but not sexual harassment. What I did is completely normal,” he insisted. 

Oh. OH! Most of the pieces clicked together. Maria could almost see the big picture. 

As Maria’s thoughts returned from her epiphany to her meeting at La Colombe, it slowly dawned on her that she was sitting in a secluded booth with a man who sexually assaulted women. Instinctively, she drew her limbs close to her body and tried to forget her disgust. She had more to ask, after all. 

At least, that’s what she remembered. She couldn’t recall one of the many questions she had. In that moment when her mind drew a blank, her anxiety welled up and spilled itself for the world to see. 

“What do we do from here?” she croaked. 

Hamilton stared at his fingers before looking back up at Maria. For the first time, he looked truly stressed and worn, his skin sallow and wrinkled, like an aging piece of old leather. “We learn to live like this. You learn to avoid the paparazzi and to endure people’s pity and moralizing. Things will quiet down for you in a year. My reelection is in jeopardy. My family won’t speak to me. I’ve lost almost everything.” 

Maria snapped, “What about Philip? What about our son?” 

Hamilton winced and cowered in his seat. “I don’t want to get involved with him.” 

Her heart fractured for her son. This wasn’t fair for him. 

Hamilton explained, “It’s for the best. I let Eliza parent our three kids because she’s actually good at it, listening to what the kids have to say, teaching them to be decent. You’ve done a good job too; James has lots of good things to say about Philip. You don’t want me fucking up your kid.” 

“He wants a father!” she protested. 

“He’s better off without me,” he repeated with an air of finality. “I have to go,” he announced. Without another word, he marched towards the front door and opened it. Maria heard a frenzy flashing cameras and intrusive questions before the door closed. 

Maria heaved a sigh of frustration. There was no way she was leaving right now. She procured her laptop from her bag and noticed her phone, still recording. She stopped recording and saved the file on her phone as well as her laptop before pulling up some research articles, desperate to lose herself in her work and to ignore what she believed must have happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, the confrontation between Ham and Maria!


	10. Chapter 10

Hamilton had been right – Maria had indeed spent the week dealing with way too many requests for interviews and an absurd number of judgmental glares. To her horror, she was getting used to it. Philip was still being taunted at school, but for the most part, he, like his mother, found solace in mathematics. 

Maria had the audio for her meeting with Hamilton, but she had yet to do anything with it other than listen to it over and over again. At this point, she skipped over everything except the part where he refused to be a father to Philip. She couldn’t bring herself to show her son his biological father’s unambiguous rejection of him, although parts of her doubted that prolonging false hope was much better. 

It was Friday, and in spite of the week’s chaos, Washington still wanted the team to practice. He had even emailed everyone, stipulating that he expected everyone’s best performance at this last group practice and emphasizing the team’s unmatched talent and potential. Philip definitely wanted to go to the retreat; he had had virtually no contact with James or Theo since the scandal became public. 

Maria and Philip and just arrived at the hotel and were entering the stained glass doors as a familiar figure came by. 

“Eliza?” Maria whispered incredulously. Her hair was sticking up at odd angles, and she clearly wasn’t wearing any makeup. Frankly, she looked terrible, a shadow of her former self. 

Eliza shot the other woman a look of profound betrayal and bolted away. 

Pangs of guilt stabbed Maria’s insides. She had never, ever wanted to hurt her, especially not after her friendliness. 

Philip nudged his mother. “James is probably here,” he breathed, relief and hope evident in the sparkle in his eye. Maria hadn’t seen that him that happy all week. 

They walked into the hotel lobby, where they were greeted by Washington, Patsy, and James. Philip paused and stared at his shoes, as if he wanted to sink into the ground. 

James stalked over to Philip and growled, “I’m not figuring out where you fit into my life until after National Math League. For the next week, we’re just teammates.” 

“Just teammates?” Philip rasped. 

“Teammates and friends,” revised James. 

Philip threw his arms around James’s shoulders. James stood there rather awkwardly, arms limply hanging by his sides, face bewildered, as if he had not been hugged in years. Philip soon realized this and let go. The two boys shuffled towards their coach. 

Everyone waited in the lobby for the fourth team member, even Maria. After what seemed an eternity, Theo entered the hotel, followed by her father. 

Good. Maria stood a little taller. 

Theo ran up to Washington and said, “Sir, I apologize for my tardiness.” She then scurried towards her teammates and timidly began to talk to Philip. 

Aaron stepped up to the coach and explained, “Dr. Washington, the fault is mine. Considering this week’s events, I imagine you may encounter unwanted public attention. I did not want any harm to come my daughter’s way.” 

“As stated in the itinerary, there are no excursions planned for this last retreat. Nothing will happen to Theodosia,” Washington pointed out coldly. 

“I have utmost confidence in you,” Aaron said, his mouth smiling and his eyes frowning. 

He pivoted and was halfway out the door when Maria grabbed his forearm. “Aaron!” Maria said as sweetly as she could, “It’s so great to see you. Did you get my email? I wanted to get coffee with you!” 

An inscrutable expression marred Aaron’s face, but it soon vanished. “I am quite busy, but I can certainly spare an hour right now. I know a quiet coffee shop nearby where we can converse.” 

“Lead the way, Aaron!” Maria said with a practiced smile. 

They headed down a few blocks until they reached…

“This is La Columbe. I often take clients here to discuss matters due to its cozy ambience and quiet environment,” Aaron explained. 

“Peace and quiet would be nice.” 

“I’m sure you would appreciate peace and quiet. You must have had a harrowing week,” Aaron remarked as he opened the door for Maria. They entered and sat down at the closest unoccupied table. Maria mentally prepared herself for a duel. 

“What’s on your mind, Maria?” asked Aaron. 

There was the opening move. She responded with her planned opening statement. “Well, this has been a very hard week for me and Philip. I was caught completely off guard.” 

“I am terribly sorry for you two.” He sounded immensely sympathetic. 

“This recent…development, you see, has raised a number of questions about a citizen’s rights to privacy. The mayor has released some information that leads me to suspect my privacy has been breached. I am but a professor and a single mother raising a son in New York City…” Here, she tapered off, hoping he would take the bait. 

He did. “Would you like my advice regarding legal matters?” Aaron asked with a bit of a bemused smile. “Normally, I charge for consultations, but I believe I can make an exception just this once.” 

She widened her eyes and brought her hands over her mouth in her best imitation of surprise. “Really? That would mean the world for me during this trying time.” 

“It’s nothing. Go ahead. What questions do you have?” 

Maria had gotten through the introductory part of this confrontation just as she had wanted. Now for the hard part. “Well, in the letter in the New York Times, the mayor brings up Philip and his paternity. I just can’t see how he can use my son’s name without permission. He’s a minor.” 

“You’re right. Hamilton and the media have infringed on Philip’s privacy. Legally, I believe you could act to remove his name from the article. However, by now, I am sorry to say that expunging his name from that one source would require an inordinate amount of time and resources and would have no practical purpose. The news has already spread like wildfire.” 

Maria sighed and clasped her hands together. “I was there would be nothing I could do about that. There is another issue on which I hope you can guide me.” 

“What is it?” asked Aaron as he leaned back in the luxurious seat. Good, he was relaxing. Now was the time to strike. 

“Mayor Hamilton’s letter mentioned that he confirmed Philip’s paternity through DNA testing. I find this extraordinarily disturbing. As far as I can tell, you need DNA samples to conduct DNA tests, and I simply don’t know how on earth he could have procured DNA samples from Philip!” Maria allowed her voice to become more and more shrill with every word. 

Aaron uttered nothing. He clutched his coffee cup tightly, permanently deforming its shape. 

It was time to reveal what she knew. “I was so shocked that I actually spoke to Mayor Hamilton about these paternity tests.” 

Aaron’s other hand gripped the edge of the table. “What?!” 

“And he told me…”

“What did he tell you?!” 

This was her gambit. “He told me that the paternity tests were done by you.” 

Fury shrouded Aaron Burr’s usually calm countenance. Maria cursed internally. Was she wrong to conclude that Hamilton’s blackmailer was Burr? Had she accused an innocent man of a terrible deed? 

Maria was about to apologize when Aaron spoke. “I admit it,” he said resignedly. “I am the one who sought to determine your son’s paternity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maria finally confronts Burr!


	11. Chapter 11

“Why?” Maria asked, appalled. 

Aaron clenched his eyes shut and turned his head sideways. “I thought your son resembled Hamilton to an unusual extent. I found that peculiar and chose to investigate.” 

“How did you find out?” she demanded. 

He persisted in staring at the wall to his side. “Obtaining genetic samples of the mayor was a trivial matter. His hair is long and unruly and often gets caught in the cracks and ridges of any wooden chair he occupies. Because of my line of work, I have many opportunities to get strands of his hair.” 

“What about Philip?!” 

He refused to make eye contact. “I told Thomas about my theory. He offered to help out. According to him, he petted your son’s head once and extracted a fair amount of his hair.” 

Maria remembered that instance. That seemingly meaningless memory was now stained by Aaron Burr’s plot. 

“After we got those two hair samples, we ran several DNA tests on them. They all corroborated my theory of Philip’s paternity.” 

He had answered everything regarding the logistics of the tests, but one question loomed in Maria’s thoughts. 

“Why did you do this?” 

“If my theory were true, it could be possible to manufacture advantages.” 

Maria saw red. “You were going to use my son for personal gain?!” 

Aaron finally stared directly at Maria and indignantly snarled, “Not for myself. For the good of the public.” 

“Really,” she replied cynically. 

“Yes,” he asserted. “I wanted Hamilton to admit to his history of sexual harassment.” 

“Sexual harassment?” She remembered on day that Thomas had petted Philip, he had also told her about how Hamilton sexually harassed Burr’s wife. 

Aaron explained, “Alexander Hamilton and I used to work in the same private firm. I saw the disgusting manner in which he interacted with our female colleagues. I helped my colleagues file reports on harassment with Human Resources, but it was all in vain. The company at which we worked fostered misogyny. The board chose to ignore complaints and conceal all accusations against Hamilton rather than risk the blow to its reputation.” 

“What a terrible workplace!” 

“Thomas reached out to me, asked me to join him. He’s an egalitarian, idealistic man. Anything would be better than working in the same vicinity as Hamilton. I’ve been working with Thomas since then, but my work will be incomplete until the day I expose the mayor for who he is. The public deserves better than that scoundrel for mayor.” 

“So that’s why – ”

“Yes. I intended to use your son’s parentage to … persuade Hamilton into confessing his sexual misconduct. I never expected him to prioritize his own political legacy over his family’s wellbeing and Philip’s privacy. 

“He has,” Maria remarked icily. 

“I am deeply sorry. I did not seek to sully your name. I miscalculated the effectiveness of my approach. The ordeal through which you suffer is collateral damage.” 

She gnashed her teeth. There was that phrase again. She hated feeling like a pawn. 

“You have indirectly instigated a great deal of suffering for me and my son,” she snarled. 

“My mistake has another grave consequence. Now, I have lost the element of surprise, and I have no means with which to procure proof of wrongdoing from the mayor. I will not have another chance…” 

Aaron’s voice was quavering. Tears were rolling down his face and dripping off the tip of his nose. “I’m sorry, Theodosia,” he muttered to himself, “You shouldn’t have to live under this mayor…”

“Aaron, you said you had time to speak for an hour. It’s almost been an hour now,” Maria mentioned. 

He grabbed the nearest napkin and began to blot his eyes. “Thank you for letting me know. I’m afraid I must leave at once. I wish you the best.” Somehow, despite what must have been an awful conversation for him, Aaron left La Columbe appearing as calm and collected as always. 

Maria exhaled the instant he was gone. She was still quivering. Even with her preparation, that discussion had been uncomfortably raw. 

She had solved the mystery of the unrequested DNA tests. Maybe she could even press charges against Aaron Burr for conducting them. 

Then again, she didn’t have the heart to, not after seeing him bawl his eyes out. If Burr’s allegations against Mayor Hamilton were true – and she had plenty of reasons to believe they were – Maria understood why Burr didn’t want that man in charge of NYC. 

Regardless, Hamilton and Burr had both wronged her by dredging up her personal life for the entire world to see and judge. Here she was, in the crossfire of a battle that she had nothing to do with. She had been dragged into this nightmare and was enduring an onslaught of paper and ink and prying eyes. 

Maria’s head started aching. She ordered a latte with four shots of espresso. She needed the drink. 

Once the pounding in her head subsided, she went back to her empty apartment and tried to work on math. It was a flimsy attempt; as she worked on her laptop, her fingers kept itching to take her back to that audio recording of her conversation with Hamilton. 

A few hours into her work, late into the night, Maria gave in and listened to the audio for the nth time. She listened absentmindedly, instead pondering whether to show it to Philip. 

“…I may have flirted with her and groped her a bit, but not sexual harassment…” she heard. 

Maria jolted up and away from her computer. What was that? Thinking her ears were deceiving her, she rewound the audio a few seconds and paid closer attention. 

She wasn’t mistaken. Hamilton DEFINITELY said that, and she had proof right here! 

But she soon realized she had no idea what to do with it. If she released it to the public, she would most likely incur the mayor’s wrath and sever any bond her son and his biological father could develop. On the other hand, with Hamilton’s actions fresh on her mind, she wasn’t at all enthused about letting that man influence her son. Plus, the thought of having someone like him in office disgusted her. 

Needless to say, Maria had a stressful, sleepless weekend. 

By Sunday, she felt like a zombie. She went to the hotel, navigating the small crowd of reporters that perpetually followed her and ignoring the intrusive questions and malicious slurs flung her way. Evidently, there was a silver lining to being so sleep-deprived that she barely noticed anything. 

She got there early and waited in the lobby, nearly dozing off a few times. Aaron and Thomas arrived early as well, taking seats on a sofa. 

Thomas walked up to Maria and said, “I’m sorry for everything. Really.” Before she could say anything, he paced back to his spot on the sofa and planted himself next to Burr. Both had their arms crossed over their chests and their eyes closed, as if they were trying to shut out the world. 

Then, Eliza Hamilton stepped into the lobby. She saw Maria and crossed over to the diametrically opposite side of the room. Maria looked away. It didn’t seem right to make eye contact with her. 

A few minutes later, the four children and their coach came into the lobby. Washington smiled approvingly. “I see everyone has decided to come on time today. As you all know, National Math League is this weekend, from Thursday to Sunday. It will be held at the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel. This is the best team New York has had in decades. I have faith we will succeed. Until Thursday, keep working hard.” Washington left with a flourish. 

The children returned to their respective parents. Philip glanced back at his teammates as he walked towards Maria. 

“Look!” an unfamiliar voice cried out. “It’s Hamilton’s wife and mistress in the SAME ROOM!” 

Everyone in the room turned towards the front door, where paparazzi had snuck in. 

“It’s even better than that!” another shouted. “There’s his eldest son and his love child!” 

Thomas rolled his eyes and then shoved his way through the pesky paparazzi, dragging Patsy behind him. Aaron shrugged his shoulders and frowned slightly before he and Theo took the path Thomas had cleared. 

Camera shutters were going off around the two women. Eliza was visibly shaking, as was Philip. James looked about ready to dropkick the closest person. This was bad. 

In a flash, Maria crossed the vast lobby and grabbed the other woman’s wrist. Philip had followed his mother and was now clutching his teammate’s arm. 

Philip waved his hand. “Clear a path!” he ordered. Like magic, the sea of reporters parted, allowing them through. 

Once they were outside, Eliza stared at Maria, nodded in acknowledgement, and left with James. 

Maria gazed in the direction they had left until Philip tugged at her sleeve. “Mom, let’s go home.” 

“Alright, sweetie. I’ve never seen you so assertive before.” 

“Oh? It’s probably all the team practice we’ve been doing.” 

“How so?” 

“The way we do team rounds, two people work on each problem, and if we get different answers, we deliberate. So far, whenever I’ve had a disagreement with anyone, I’ve turned out to be right. Dr. Washington told me to be more confident.” 

Philip was gaining poise and self-assurance. He was growing up. 

“Dr. Washington gave me the Ciphering Round questions from the last few years. Could you practice with me?” 

“Of course!” 

They walked in silence for a few moments before Maria asked, “How are you and your teammates?” 

“We’re fine.” 

He certainly didn’t sound fine. Maria didn’t know how to ask more, so she said nothing. There was no point in antagonizing him. 

Something just felt off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided on how the story would play out long before this chapter. Life ain't exactly fair for Maria :/


	12. Chapter 12

It was Thursday night. Philip was already at National Math League. All of the competitive events would take place tomorrow. Saturday was intended for socializing and sightseeing. (The New York team, unsurprisingly, was not enthralled about seeing sights in NYC.) Everything would be over by Sunday afternoon. 

The last few days before the contest itself had been brutal for Maria. When she agreed to help her son practice Ciphering, she had unwittingly assented to long, long hours of hectic math, hastily done in the margins of her notebooks. Washington gave Philip a USB drive with slideshows of old Ciphering Rounds. In Ciphering, the first slide had a problem, the next had the answer, and so on and so forth. She and her son would compete to see who could give the correct answer the fastest. To her chagrin, Philip was usually faster. 

Fortunately, those days were over. Maria slept soundly that night. 

Anxiety hit her that morning. Throughout her class, she kept checking her phone for an update from Philip. She got a message around noon: “Written test reasonable, team round fine.” 

She raised an eyebrow. She had leafed through Philip’s old practice tests, and she could tell that National Math League problems were invariably tough. 

Because she was free on Friday afternoons, Maria decided to go to the competition to watch Ciphering, which was open to the public. For some unfathomable reason, the public was interested in watching middle school students solve math problems, so Maria was barely able to snag a seat. 

Just as she sat down, the announcer started speaking. “Welcome to all of the mathletes here today! We are about to begin the Ciphering Round! First, I shall explain the rules. I will call up the students with the top twelve scores in the written rounds. We will have two rounds for Ciphering. In each round, a problem will be shown on the projector, and I will read the problem out loud as well. In the first round, the students placing fifth through twelfth will face one another, fifth against twelth, sixth against eleventh, and so on. The winners of these will move on to the second round. The top four contenders automatically move on to the second round. The second round will be a single elimination bracket. In each head-to-head match, contestants will have forty-five seconds to answer. You may press your buzzer and answer before I finish reading the problem. The first contestant to answer three questions will win that match.” 

The announcer paused before he said, “I will now announce the top twelve students after the written portion. In twelfth place is… In eleventh place is Theodosia Burr from New York! … In third place is Philip Reynolds from New York!” 

Maria’s heart began to beat faster. He had made it to the final round! She waited through the first round of Ciphering anxiously, clapping politely when the emcee introduced the contestants (Watching awkward middle school students talk about their ardent love of math was oddly charming!) and cheering only when Theodosia beat her opponent. It had been very, very close – she and her opponent had both answered two questions correctly, but she edged him out in the end, claiming sixth place for herself. 

After a riveting first Ciphering Round, the announcer projected an image of the bracket for the second round. Only then did Maria realize that third place would go up against sixth place. 

After fourth and fifth place went head-to-head, the announcer called up Philip and Theo. “Theo, you’ve introduced yourself to the audience during the first round. Before we begin, I’d like to introduce Philip as well. Our third-place contestant after the written round is Philip Reynolds, and he, like Theo here, hails from New York City. He is an eighth grader, and his hobby is … math. Philip, what else do you like to do?” 

Cruel whispers echoed throughout the room. No one would say it out loud, but they were all thinking, “Isn’t that Hamilton’s bastard son?” 

Philip said, “I like poetry too! I actually wrote a poem for Math League!” 

“Well, I’m glad to hear Math League is inspiring you not just in math. Let’s begin with this match-up. The first question is… Triangle NML is a right – Yes, Theo?” 

“Twenty-four,” she answered. 

“That is correct! The score is now 1-0, in favor of Theo. The next question is… How many zeroes are – Philip?”

“Thirty-seven!” 

“That is correct! Philip gets on the scoreboard!” 

The two teammates from New York raged against each other in a vicious mental civil war. Finally, after reaching a grueling streak of three questions neither could solve, Philip broke the tie and won the match. Maria shrieked for joy – her son was in the top four! 

Philip reached out for the obligatory handshake between rivals. She, however, wrapped her arms around her teammate’s waist. Half in shock, he hugged her around her shoulders. 

They stayed like that until the announcer said, “Well. Moving on…” They untangled their limbs and awkwardly returned to their seats onstage. 

The students in first and second place easily won their match-ups. In the first match-up among the top four, between first and fourth place, the first place kid, some arrogant toe rag named George Eacker, demolished the poor soul in fourth place, securing his spot in the final match. In a similar fashion, Philip annihilated the second seed and advanced to the final. 

“And now, our top two contestants! Please give a warm welcome to George Eacker of New Jersey and Philip Reynolds of New York!” 

The two students took their places on the stage and gave each other nasty glares. 

“Please test your buzzers. If there are no issues, we will begin.” 

“It’s good!” the boys chimed. 

“Excellent! Now, our first question is… What – George?” 

“159.” 

“Correct! The score is 1-0 in favor of George. The second question is… We have – Philip?” 

“Eighty.” 

“Correct! George and Philip are tied now. The third question is… A cylin – Philip?” 

“28pi!” 

“That is correct! Philip now leads. The scoreboard is 1-2. And our fourth question is … A – George? ”

“0.285.” 

“Correct! George and Philip are tied! The next question will determine our National Math League Champion! And it states… A store that sells only dogs and cats has 75% more – Philip?” 

Philip was squinting, almost as if he had buzzed in first and had just started reading the problem. (In hindsight, that was probably how everyone in Ciphering operated.) “7/11?” 

“I am sorry, that is incorrect. “A store that sells only dogs and cats has 75% more dogs than cats. What is the ratio between the number of cats the store has and the number of pets the store has?” 

George took his sweet time before buzzing in. “4/11.” 

“That is correct! Ladies and gentlemen, George has won this match, which means he is the winner of National Math League! Give him a hand!” 

Maria clapped mechanically, her emotions in conflict. She was so proud of her son for doing so well and earning second place, yet she knew that he had lost first place over a silly error. If only he had waited a little…

Just then, she got a text from Philip. “Second place individual. Pretty satisfied. Theo was sixth. Will let you know more later.” 

He seemed to be handling it well. She texted, “Congratulations! So proud of you!” before leaving the building. She was pretty sure her teenager wouldn’t appreciate her interrupting his event.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ending to Aftermath!

Dr. Washington invited the parents of his stellar students to attend the banquet on Saturday night. Maria had not planned to go, but when Thomas had called her, letting her know that he and Aaron were going and begging her to go, she relented. 

Since Washington had described the banquet was formal, Maria opted to wear a cocktail dress she had not donned in years. Perhaps the dress was a bit too snug in some areas, but overall, time had been kind to her. She applied her makeup and put on her accessories, stowing a USB drive in her handbag, before she headed out. 

She met Aaron in the front lobby. “Hello!” she smiled, relieved to see his attire was comparably formal. 

He looked up and waved. “Hello, Maria. Thomas has yet to arrive.” 

“No problem! I actually have something I want to give you.” She fished through her bag until she retrieved the innocuous-looking USB drive. “Here you go.” 

Aaron pinched the device between two fingers. “What is this?” 

“It’s something that will help you give Theodosia the future she deserves. She’s a very bright young woman.” 

Judging by the spark in his eyes, he knew exactly what it was. “Thank you for supporting my daughter.” 

“All I ask it that you do everything in your power to hide my involvement.” 

“Of course,” he assured her as he pocketed the item. 

Thomas walked in, and the three proud parents went to the grand ballroom. Near the main door stood Dr. Washington, who beckoned them towards the circular table allocated for New York. “New York performed especially well this year. We were second only to California. I am honored to have worked with your children.” 

When they reached the table, the students were already seated, taking up four of the eight available seats. Patsy explained, “I arranged the seating! We sit in alternating seats, and you guys sit in between students. The rule is that parents and kids have to be adjacent!” 

Thomas smiled. “Alright, sweetie,” he said as he glided over to the seat between his daughter and James. Aaron took the seat between Patsy and Theo, and Maria sat between Philip and Theo (on purpose). Noticing that neither the Hamilton patriarch nor matriarch was there, Washington claimed the space between Philip and James. 

The children merrily chatted about their day in NYC. “We went to see the Statue of Liberty! I haven’t been there in years,” James mentioned. 

As Thomas waxed poetic on the ideals upon which the nation had been founded, Maria saw a folded-up bit of paper on the floor. She picked it up and opened it up gingerly to discover a handwritten poem on the inside. The first line read, “Dear Theodosia, what to say to you?” 

Just then, Patsy remarked, “Philip read Theo a poem there!” 

Philip (and Theo!) blushed and began to rummage through his pockets. 

Thomas elbowed Patsy gently and said, “Now, now, don’t embarrass them.” 

Maria noticed none of this. She was engrossed in the writing on the paper: 

Dear Theodosia, what to say to you?   
When you came into my life, you shined, and you won my heart.   
I’m dedicating every day to you.   
Political life was never quite my style  
When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart  
And I thought I was so smart.   
You will come of age with our budding nation  
I’ll bleed and fight for you, make this place right for you  
We will build upon our strong foundation  
I’ll give my all for you, I’ll fix the world for you  
And you’ll blow us all away  
Someday, someday…

Philip cried, “Mom! Give that back to me!” as he tried to pluck the note away. 

Maria flipped the sheet of paper over to discover the other side was an acceptance letter from a prestigious private high school addressed to her son. “Philip, what’s this?” 

This time, he succeeded in snatching the note away, tucking it into the inside pocket of his jacket, right by his heart. “I got a scholarship for the high school that Theo and James are attending next year. It’s a good school that participates in lots of math competitions.” 

“Why did you never mention this to me?” 

“I got this a few days ago. I figured I would tell you after Math League.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to apply to this school?” 

“That would be my fault, Ms. Reynolds, ” interrupted Washington. “I am the one who recommended Philip. He is an exceptionally talented mathematician. It would be a shame if he did not have access to all the resources this school offers.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Dr. Washington?” 

“The school only offers four scholarships every year. I feared that letting you and Philip know sooner would cause unnecessary disappointment.” 

“What are you talking about, Washington? Of course he would get it,” declared a smug voice behind Maria. “He’s my son.” 

“Hamilton! I didn’t expect to see you here! Take my seat!” Washington boomed as he stood up to give the mayor a manly hug. “I have a coaches’ meeting to attend soon.” 

Mayor Hamilton took the seat and only then realized he was sandwiched between James and Philip. He seemed rather pleased with the arrangement. James and Philip, however, both looked terribly uncomfortable. 

At last, Hamilton turned to Philip and said, “I’m proud of you, son. Kudos on getting second in the nation and first in New York.” 

“Huh? Oh, thanks, I guess?” 

The mood surrounding the table soured considerably. Neither the Burrs nor the Jeffersons would make eye contact with the newcomer. Maria wanted to crawl under a rock and hide, and Philip seemed utterly lost. Worst of all was James, who looked like he was about to cry. 

“You could have done better against Eacker,” Hamilton prattled on. 

Now all eyes were glued to the mayor. 

“Still, not bad. You bring pride to the Hamilton name, Philip Hamilton! You truly are my son.” 

The white tablecloth suddenly tightened; everyone besides Hamilton realized that James was pulling on the tablecloth with clenched fists. Disaster was about to strike. 

Philip stood up with an air of finality and said, “Sir, my name is Philip Reynolds.” 

He went to James and said, “Hey, bro. Eacker said the NJ team was playing Catan tonight, and they invited us. Let’s go. Theo, Patsy, you guys are invited as well!” 

James let go of the tablecloth and nodded. The children eagerly jumped at the opportunity to escape the mayor’s presence. 

Aaron got up and said, “Pardon me. I shall take my leave.” 

“Yeah, let’s blow this popsicle stand,” Thomas agreed. 

And just like that, Maria and Alexander were left alone at a table that was far too large for two. 

“Did I say something?” Hamilton asked. 

Maria donned her coat, ready to leave. “Everyone is busy. That’s all.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth not the temperament to deal with his ways. 

She left with no regrets. 

~ 

The audio recording that Maria gave Aaron was never released to the public. 

Not that it was necessary – Hamilton lost the next mayoral election. Pollsters everywhere attributed his waning popularity and loss to his scandal. He returned to private practice. Tabloids occasionally featured pictures of the former mayor and his wife out in public. 

Philip went to the same high school as Theo and James. The school was thrilled to have so many brilliant stars among their own. Philip began spending more time with Madison, even working on combinatorics research. 

Maria never showed Philip the recording. Philip never asked about his father. 

Life eventually quieted down for Maria. She never truly escaped public scrutiny, but she did research and taught classes and raised her son, just like normal. 

Even in the aftermath of a hurricane, life went on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I can't believe I finally finished this story. To any readers who have been on this journey and any readers who have joined more recently, thank you for your support! 
> 
> I've been rather busy - working through the challenges life throws, but I'm at a stage in my life where I feel more ready to write more Hamilton fanfic. Keep an eye out for some new stories!

**Author's Note:**

> No idea where this idea came from. This is a rather unusual concept. I hope you find this interesting! 
> 
> The competition described is based on Mathcounts.


End file.
